1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oral care composition which contains a cationic antibacterial compound which composition is effective in retarding bacterial plaque accumulation on teeth and more particularly to a dentifrice composition containing a cationic antibacterial compound and a proteolytic enzyme which achieves plaque reduction with superior breath freshening characteristics.
2. The Prior Art
Halitosis, the technical term for bad breath, or Fetor ex Otis, is an undesirable condition. As a matter of fact, everyone, excluding the very young, occasionally has bad breath, with approximately 25% suffering on a regular basis and the problem tends to get worse and more frequent as one gets older. The problem seems to be evenly split between men and women. Bad breath results when proteins from the food we eat and saliva debris are broken down by bacteria. Even the cleanest mouth hosts millions of bacteria which have the potential to decompose these protein-containing particles left in the mouth. The tongue, with its fissures and large, bumpy surface area, retains considerable quantities of food and debris that support and protect a large bacterial population. Under low oxygen condition, this bacterial population forms foul smelling products, called volatile sulfur compounds (VSC)—such as hydrogen sulfide (“rotten eggs”) and methyl mercaptans (“skunk smell”) and other odorous and bad tasting compounds. Up to 80-90% of bad breath that originates in the mouth is by this mechanism.
Dental plaque or plaque bio-film is a soft deposit that forms on teeth and is comprised of an accumulation of bacteria and salivary as well as food by-products. Plaque adheres tenaciously at the points of irregularity or discontinuity, e.g., on rough calculus surfaces, at the gum line, on tongue surface and within crevices, and the like. Besides being unsightly, plaque is implicated in the occurrence of gingivitis and other forms of periodontal disease.
Bacteria thrive on the tongue. For the most part, the bacteria are a part of a protective bio-film that essentially renders them resistant to most treatments. Few people clean their tongue after brushing, even though it's been shown that as much as 50 percent of the mouth's bacteria can be found here. Additionally, for many people, brushing or scraping the tongue is difficult because of the gag reflex. Therefore, cleaning the tongue non-mechanically is highly desirable for those who are unable to do so with a mechanical device.
A wide variety of antibacterial agents have been suggested in the art to retard plaque formation and the oral infections and dental disease associated with plaque formation. For example, cationic antibacterial compounds such as cetyl pyridinium chloride are well known to the art for their antibacterial activity and have been used in oral compositions to counter plaque formation by bacterial accumulation in the oral cavity.
In spite of the extensive prior art relating to antibacterial dentifrice compositions, there is still a need in the art to formulate a dentifrice product capable of delivering an antibacterial agent having enhanced effect in the retardation of bacterial plaque accumulation on teeth, as well as on the tongue, without inhibiting the bioavailability of the antibacterial compound. The delivery of the antibacterial compound to the tongue will allow for effective control of bad breath.